Ajla Tomljanovic
FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
US Open Women Singles

Sep. 07, 2022 03:27 PM EDT

FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Serena Williams' goodbye to U.S. Open a ratings boon to ESPN

By David Bauder Sep. 07, 2022 03:26 PM EDT